Lobster fishing as a trade and for survival has been practiced for many years. The classic lobster trap is designed to trap a lobster by coaxing the lobster through one or more funnel shape passages. As lobsters are crawlers and not swimmers, lobster traps typically endeavor to make it easy for a lobster to crawl into the trap and difficult for the lobster to crawl out of the trap. One way in which this is done is using funnel-like nets that terminate at a ring that is suspended above a bottom surface of the trap such that after a lobster crawls through the ring and enters the trap, the lobster is not readily able to reach the ring opening to escape the trap.
With reference to FIG. 1, a typical lobster trap 2 includes a rectangular enclosure 4 divided into two main compartments, a kitchen 6 and a parlor 8. Access to the interior of the enclosure 4 is typically via one or more funnel nets 10 secured to a ring 12 through which the lobsters can crawl. The funnel net 10 and ring 12 together define a head 14. A bait bag (not shown) is placed in the kitchen 6 for attracting lobsters and other sea creatures, which may include crabs, for example. After a lobster enters the kitchen 6 and is ready to leave, the easiest path of apparent exit is via a head leading to the parlor 8. Accordingly, and in theory, a lobster first will be drawn into the kitchen 6 by the bait bag, and then exit the kitchen into the parlor 8 where it will remain until a lobsterman hauls the trap to harvest the lobsters. The typical lobster trap, therefore, functions like a maze to prevent lobsters from escaping prior to the lobsterman returning to haul the trap.
While the above described lobster trap is an effective tool for catching lobsters, a number of factors limit the efficiency of such traps. For example, it has been estimated that a large number of lobsters that initially approach the trap either do not enter the trap, or enter the trap and escape prior to the return of the lobsterman. One way in which lobsters escape is simply by crawling back through the heads of the trap in the reverse manner in which they entered. Lobsters that approach the trap and do not enter may be deterred from entering by lobsters already in the trap that make entry difficult (e.g., by blocking the heads). Still other lobsters are deterred from entering the trap because lobsters already in the kitchen may become aggressive and defend the bait bag.
Further reduction in fishing efficiencies may be due to regulations imposed by state and federal agencies. Typically, regulations govern both the number of traps fished, and specific size range of lobsters which may be harvested. Accordingly, certain specific size openings or escape vents are often required to be used on lobster traps. Such regulations are designed to allow smaller size lobsters that are not within a specified range, sometimes referred to as shorts, to escape a trap. Larger lobsters, however, may be less likely to enter the trap.
Other governmental regulations, though not directly related to lobsters, can increase the cost of lobster traps by making the traps less efficient and/or increasing the likelihood of losing a trap on the ocean floor. For example, regulations aimed at protecting the right whale require breakaway buoys and/or lineless traps to reduce the impact of lobster fishing on right whales. Regardless of the intended purpose of the regulations, the typical result for lobstermen is higher costs and/or lost profits.